The Legacy of the Undertaker: The path of the dead man defined in 5 matches.

The lights dim and the crowd sinks into darkness. A feint blue-purple light reaches out eerily into the air as smoke rises from the stage and mingles in with the crowd. A bell tolls, the crowd erupts and a shadow of death and doom fills the backlit stage, the Dead man has arrived to claim his latest victim, tonight this WWE event is filled with terror as The Undertaker lays his gaze across the ring at he for whom the bell tolls.

When it comes to naming the top handful of WWE wrestlers that have had unprecedented careers, The Undertaker features right at the top alongside wrestling legends such as Hulk Hogan and Shaun Michaels. With the last 25 years dedicated to putting the competition in a coffin, the Undertaker has had a massive impact on every wrestling fans love of the sport every time he takes to the wrestling mats. The Undertaker is a true WWE icon and is responsible for some of the most thrilling, nail-biting moments in matches that have left us on the edge of our seats.

His glorious career has been defined by match ups with Steve ‘Stone Cold’ Austin and bloodbath revenge matches with the likes of Kane and Mankind. It isn’t just his outstanding victories of the organizations best talent but his defeats have left us spellbound and mystified, wondering if he was ever to return to the ring. The undertaker has shaped an entire generation of wrestling and wrestling fans as Dead-heads all across the country and the world, wait with baited breath for the next card that features the Dead man. How do we define a career of such an accomplished athlete? We found five matches that gave rise to, enforced and then defined, the Undertakers legacy in the WWE. Here are the five best matches that featured the American-badass.

The 1990 Survivor series was a moment that will remain in infamy as the world was introduced to a man who would soon become one of the sports largest icons and arguably the most popular wrestler of all time, The Undertaker. The introduction debut match for the Undertaker featured him fighting a team match where he first introduced the wrestling world to his signature move, ‘The tombstone pile driver’’ delivering it with near-lethal force to Koko. B. He evil representation of a dark side to the WWE and a ghoulish appearance that had never been seen before and sent chills down the women and children watching ringside and at home alike. His raw intimidation of hi opponents and his skilled striking gave rise to the beginning of a new era in wrestling, the era of the ‘Dead-man’ was thrust upon the WWE and its fans and would prove to be a legacy that developed into stardom over the years to come.

At WrestleMania XXX, the Dead man faced his most formidable opponent to date in the 300-pound colossal athlete that is Brock Lesnar. Lesnar is a freak, super athlete that is known for ferocious displays of power and dominance in the ring. This was the first time that the Undertaker had ever taken a loss, fifth his flawless record of 21-0 being finally broken by the animal that is Brock Lesnar. The Undertakers very first loss had come on the grandest wrestling stage of WWE, the greatest wrestling event of all time to date and the Undertaker was lying flat out on his back in defeat. The shocking outcome reverberated around the wrestling world and fans everywhere were stunned. The Taker seemed unstoppable, almost like he would never lose due to the dark forces that protected him and in this moment, the legend had come to rest. The event and the match was the biggest WWE box-office pay-per-view event ever and the WWE had not failed to deliver on its shock value to the Dead-man’s fans.

Lesnar just proved to be too powerful for the Undertaker and he was tossed around the ring like a rag-doll, in much the same way that all Lesnar’s opponents before the Taker. Lesnar tore into the Taker and there was nothing that the Dead-man could do to stop the onslaught of power that Lesnar unleashed, never backing off the pressure and totally dominating the match with his raw-athletic prowess. The match ended with the |Undertaker taking an actual concussion and in the days to follow there were even reports of his apparent death that were later exposed as media hype red-herrings. Either way, the Undertaker had finally been handed his first loss and the way that champions handle themselves in moments of defeat, show what they are really made of. The Undertaker had been tested and from the ashes he would rise.

Kurt Angle faced the Undertaker for the world heavyweight title match in the ‘No way out’ WWE event held in 2006. They were set to meet each other in the main event of the evening, which was wound up to in spectacular promotional fashion by the WWE in the weeks up to the event. The match itself had both of the competitors, Taker and Angle talking a lot of smack about each other leading up to the fight and when the bell rang and the two superstars squared off, one of the greatest battles in WWE history began to take shape. All of his fans had The Undertaker pegged a s a striker that relied on his heavy hands to get the job done. However, he really displayed his versatility when pitted against the Olympic gold-medallist. The Undertaker gave a great display on the mat as he and Angle struggled to gain position and take control of the match. Angle was having trouble setting up his customary go-to ankle lock as the Taker displayed his defensive wrestling skills This introduced the Taker as not just a brawler, but a skilled technician in wrestling and cemented his all-round style into what it is today. His ability to adapt to any situation, with any fighter or wrestler gave him a new edge that was sure to propel him to stardom as he gained the Heavyweight title.

The 1998 ‘King of the Ring ‘introduced a new dimension into the WWE with the introduction of the very first ‘Hell in a cell ‘match, to feature the Undertaker and his latest enemy, Mankind. The tension leading up to this match was spine-chilling, with promos from both sides leaning toward the dark and mysterious and promising to not only end the career of the other, but to take their soul as well.

The match itself was as terrifying as it was exciting and who can forget the moment that the Taker was thrown through the cell roof onto the mats. Undertaker actually broke his foot climbing the cage and jumping from it previously. This match was the epitome of blood and violence in the WWE with the fans introduced to another dimension of wrestling that was not just simply a brawling affair, but one that had blood flying everywhere and the athletes taking enormous risks, all in the name of wrestling entertainment, it is a match that will never be forgotten in the memories of wrestling fans everywhere.

Without a doubt, the epitome of the Undertaker’s career came at WrestleMania XXV when he faced the legend, Shawn Michaels. Some have labelled it as the greatest WWE match of all time and if you agree or not, it certainly ranks up there and is definitely the pinnacle of the Dead-man. The two icons of wrestling to an entire generation squared off with one another and the action that came out of this engagement of top athletes delivered an outstanding performance. For 30 minutes, what seemed like an eternity in a match that would never end, the Undertaker and Michaels wailed on each other with almost every technique you can think of delivering a performance that was absolutely mind-blowing, with the Undertaker eventually catching Michaels in a full moon-sault and then turning him into the Pile-driver signature move for the win. This positioned the Undertaker as the best ever, as he had beaten the competition and established his legacy as the greatest of all time.